Alaska Bead Society Show

This past weekend was the annual show of beads and beaded wonders from the Alaska Bead Society. The show was held once again at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art. The turnout was excellent on both Saturday and Sunday. Our community offers such great support for our organization -- it's amazing. It was nice to see so many return customers and meet plenty of new ones.

Being surrounded by 45 of one's best competitors/friends can be a challenge, but somehow we all manage to sell some jewelry. It always amazes me to see the wide variety of styles our group has to offer.

etsyBEAD Street Team - Holiday Sale!

The etsyBEAD Street Team is kicking off the holiday season with a terrific sale. It gets better and better the more you purchase from any of the participating members. To see a list of participating members, visit the street team blog.

There will be follow-on sales as we get closer to the holidays. Check back often for details.

The flyer was designed by Jean of unepromesse.

etsyBEAD Theme of the Week, Harvest Time

The etsyBEAD Street Team is at it again with a new Theme of the Week. Harvest Time is the current theme.

I have put a couple of items on sale. The first is a woven bracelet in the colors of the harvest. Think squash, pumpkins and turning leaves.My second item is a simple pair of earrings. There's a stack of Swarovski crystals in fall colors and of graduated sizes. They hang from sterling silver earwires.

etsyBEAD Theme of the Week - Bunches of Color

For the week of September 16-22, the etsyBEAD Street Team has selected the weekly theme "Bunches of Color". Many of the team members offer special pricing on items that fit the theme.

I have selected a pair of earrings, a necklace and a necklace/earring set for this week's theme.

The pink and brown cluster set is one of my favorites. I used plenty of rose quartz, freshwater pearls and smoky quartz for this elegant necklace and earring set.















These golden bunches earrings are just plain fun! The focal bead is a faceted freshwater pearl and the drops are pearls and crystals.

The End of the Fair...

Labor Day was the last day of the Fair and I'm exhausted! This was the most fabulous Fair in our 10 years of participating. The crowds were awesome and business was good. As usual, we ate too much and didn't sleep enough.

Here's a picture of a small part of the Flower Exhibits. Some of the entries were amazing. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of the baby pigs (too cute!) or the giant cabbages (a little scary).

Now, we have to get ready for our annual trip to Fairbanks for the Bad Girls of the North craft show there. And I must get busy with my etsy store, which I have ignored for a few weeks now. Back to work for me!

Beautiful Weather is the theme of this State Fair!

I think it must be a record -- we have had the most beautiful weather so far at the Alaska State Fair. it has not rained at all. I repeat, it has not rained at all.
Fairgoers continue to arrive each day in record numbers. They seem to love our new pink zippered hooded sweatshirt, and our new t-shirt colors are a hit too.

We're giving out lots of flyers for our fall Bad Girls of the North show schedule. Will we have record crowds there too?!?

Here I am in front of the fair booth a few days ago. I'm a lot more tired now...

Alaska State Fair - Our New Look

Here's a picture of our new look. Rick completed the ramp, Carol did some painting and the building looks great!



I'm glad I took a picture of this metal sculpture by Cindy Shake. It sold on Friday! If you can't tell what it is -- it's a bird, atop a cat, atop a dog!

Record Days at the Alaska State Fair!

Opening weekend at the Alaska State Fair was amazing! It seemed like record attendance on Saturday. Our booth was busy all day and we even stayed open later than the 10 pm closing time! Our promotional gear is selling well and we've handed out lots of flyers for our upcoming Bad Girls of the North arts and crafts shows. People are loving our new pink zippered hoodie -- especially when paired with our new brown long sleeve t-shirt and matching hat! There's Carol behind the check out counter.

Here's a look at my jewelry display. It's smaller than at a craft show, but there's plenty of room for variety. In the upper picture, you can see my earrings hanging on the wall display.

The weather forecast indicates that the whole week will be pretty nice, so we are expecting busy days ahead...

Friday at the Alaska State Fair

Yesterday was a beautiful day at the Fair. It was warm and sunny all day. There were lots of people enjoying the weather and all the fair has to offer.

I sold 2 of my felted bags, which are a new product for me and more excitingly, we sold 2 metal sculptures by
Cindy Shake!

Alaska State Fair 2007 - Opening Day !

Let the games begin! Thursday was opening day at the Alaska State Fair and we were actually ready. The day was overcast, but there was still a pretty good crowd for a Thursday.
This year, in addition to my jewelry, I also put up a display of my knitted and felted bags. Carol's ingenious display idea -- a chain hanging from the ceiling with lots of hooks -- works perfectly.

Here's a shot of wonderful hats by made by Heather Krawiec of Fairbanks.

Alaska State Fair 2007 - The Set Up

I can't believe this will be our 10 th year at the Alaska State Fair! This little business of ours (mine and partner Carol Green's), called Bad Girls of the North has become quite significant here in Alaska.
In addition to the Alaska State Fair, we produce arts and crafts shows around the state. We provide a venue for Alaskan artists and artisans to sell their creations. More about that as the "season" progresses.
Back to the Fair -- you can see our little building (10' x 20') is holding up quite well. This year, Rick (my husband) is adding a ramp to the front to provide access to the disabled. Check back for additional pictures as set-up continues...

etsyBEAD Theme of the Week - August 12 - 18

Each week, a member of the etsyBEAD Street Team selects a theme. Members choose items from their shops (or create new items) that match the theme. Most members put these special items on sale for the week. It's fun to create jewelry to coordinate with a theme. My item for this week's theme, which is "Keeping Cool" is my Three Strand Labradorite Necklace.

It is chock full of freshwater pearls, highly textured silver beads and lots of labradorite. It is finished with a Bali silver clasp. This necklace can be twisted for a different look.

Multi Strand Knotted Necklaces

I started creating these necklaces in 2000. Since then, the style has been refined and I've developed 25 different color schemes. The necklace is finished with sterling silver cones and a hand-crafted hook clasp. It is about 30" long, so it can just be put on over one's head instead of using the clasp. It's nice to have that option.

The nylon cord used to string the necklace comes in so many wonderful colors, which have inspired some of the combinations I offer. I wholesale this necklace (and 2 variations of) to Portfolio, a beautiful clothing store in Anchorage, Alaska.

The necklace pictured here is done in soft turquoise blues, pale greens and shades of yellow. It perfectly fit the etsyBEAD Theme of the Week "Sun & Surf" earlier this summer.

Wire Wrapped Jewelry

In April, 2007, I attended Artfest in Port Townsend, WA. I took a wire wrapping class taught by Nina Bagley. Inspired by the technique I learned, I created the Aqua Blues Necklace.

The necklace features turquoise, amazonite, abalone, freshwater pearls and a glass bead in the shape of a leaf.

All of the sterling silver wrapped segments have been antiqued and then hand sanded for a vintage, distressed look.

This piece and others using the same techniques can be purchased at my etsy shop: www.vickiorion.etsy.com

Welcome to my blog!

I just decided to go ahead and start this blog as an adjunct to my etsy store -- www.vickiorion.etsy.com

Please visit it anytime!

In addition to designing and creating jewelry, I am an avid paper crafter and card maker. I also recently learned to knit and I'm quite addicted!